Discover the Unbelievable: Top 25 Fun and Inspiring Facts About Harriet Tubman You Never Knew!

1. Charlton Heston's Petticoat-Wearing Competitor

Move over, Charlton Heston: there's a real-life Moses in town, and she's sporting petticoats and a fierce resolve! Harriet Tubman, dubbed "Moses" for her astonishing Underground Railroad achievements, led 19 trips and safely transported approximately 300 slaves to freedom, all with the help of fellow abolitionists providing safe houses, shelter, and funds to keep her emancipation engine chugging.
Source => harriet-tubman.org

2. James Bond's Abolitionist Sister

If James Bond had a time-traveling older sister and she was a staunch abolitionist, they'd call her Harriet: Tubman was a master of disguise and a lover of daring escapes, making 19 treks to the South, commandeering her enslaver's horse and buggy, and even packing some soothing baby-calming meds just in case. Despite the whopping $40,000 wanted poster, she took down the greatest foe of all – slavery – and saved countless souls, including her own family.
Source => pbs.org

Discover the magical secrets and mysteries of the Underground Railroad! A hidden world of coded signals, secret messages, and fearless conductors aiding slaves on their journey to freedom. Can you decode their fascinating language? 🚂🔦✉️

=> Fun Facts about Underground-Railroad

3. 007 Panacea: Master of Many Trades

If Harriet Tubman was in James Bond's world, her codename might have been "007 Panacea": A Union army nurse, cook, and scout during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman flexed her Underground Railroad expertise to strategically track down Confederate rebels, culminating in a thrilling 1863 gunboat raid with Colonel James Montgomery and a squad of fellow black soldiers in South Carolina.
Source => americaslibrary.gov

4. Pre-Facebook Property Tycoon

In a time before crowdfunding campaigns and Facebook likes, Harriet Tubman played "Property Tycoon" and "Florence Nightingale" all at once — in the name of compassion, of course: Tubman purchased a 25-acre property with the intent to establish a home for the aged and poor in her community. Though she couldn't quite secure the necessary funds, she craftily deeded the land to the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, who eventually opened and operated the home. In fact, Tubman herself resided there until her death in 1913, and today, the place stands proud as part of the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park – a testament to her lasting humanitarian vision.
Source => nps.gov

5. Harriet Tubman: Original Superhero

While Batman had his trusted Batarang, Harriet Tubman wielded her small pistol and sharp-shooter's rifle with equal panache and purpose: Tubman, the original superhero of the Underground Railroad, utilized these trusty sidearms during her daring rescue missions and as a Union nurse, cook, and spy in the Civil War.
Source => harriettubmanbiography.com

6. Herbal Espionage Nurse

Who said nursing was all about bedpans and thermometers? Harriet Tubman was out healing soldiers, brewing herbs, and doing a little espionage on the side: During the Civil War, Tubman served as a nurse and spy for the Union army, using her knowledge of medicinal roots and slave contacts to gather vital intelligence, ultimately aiding in the success of several Union military operations.
Source => smithsonianmag.com

7. American Super-Spy Harriet

Move over, James Bond, because there's a new indomitable super-spy in town, and she goes by the name of Harriet Tubman: This daring, multitasking American escaped enslavement herself, then went on to rescue over 70 people via the Underground Railroad, while also serving as a Union spy during the Civil War, where she led 150 black soldiers in freeing 750 more slaves, and still found time to advocate for women's suffrage before passing away at the ripe age of 91.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Bureaucracy vs. Tubman's $20 Bill

If only Harriet Tubman could use her Underground Railroad know-how to navigate the bureaucracy of getting on a $20 bill: Born into slavery and escaping in her late 20s, the fearless abolitionist helped hundreds to freedom and served as a Union spy during the Civil War. Tubman's mug replacing Andrew Jackson's has been in the works since 2016, but was derailed under Trump; the tracks now lead to 2026 for her well-deserved place on our currency.
Source => reuters.com

9. Freedom-to-Farm Pioneer

Forget farm-to-table, Harriet Tubman was all about freedom-to-farm: In the 1850s, she purchased a 7-acre farm in Auburn, New York for $1,200, where she turned her property into a refuge for escaped slaves, orphans, and the elderly, all while cultivating crops, raising pigs, and planning to expand her land to create a haven for sick and aging African Americans.
Source => nps.gov

10. Super Cool Sister of Moses

If Moses had a super cool sister with a spy-level skill set, that would be Harriet Tubman: This real-life superhero managed to free over 300 slaves by leading 19 daring rescue missions over a decade, all without losing a single person under her watchful guidance.
Source => pbs.org

11. Wilderness Queen Harriet

Move over Bear Grylls, Harriet Tubman is the real queen of the wilderness: An extraordinary outdoorswoman, she used her expertise to guide slaves to freedom, traversing long distances (often at night) and navigating by the stars. Cleverly constructing hidden hideouts, Tubman even instructed those she rescued to bury themselves or squeeze into hollow logs to avoid capture.
Source => harriettubmanbyway.org

12. Tubman: Medicine Woman Extraordinaire

Harriet Tubman was the original Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, but with one key difference – her patients didn't second-guess her advice: This incredible woman was a skilled herbalist who applied her vast knowledge of natural remedies to heal the sick during her time as a nurse and laundress for the Union, and ingeniously used her expertise of plants to identify safe routes and food sources for herself and the covert escapees on their journey to freedom via the Underground Railroad.
Source => pbs.org

13. Gingerbread Artist Tubman

Forget the Great British Bake Off; Harriet Tubman could've given the contestants a run for their money with her masterful gingerbread artistry: Not only a fearless abolitionist and Civil War nurse/spy, Tubman's baking skills were legendary, earning her a reputation for whipping up the finest gingerbread soldiers had ever tasted, leading them to her like bees to honey and bartering prized possessions for scrumptious bites of her creation.
Source => archives.gov

14. Captain America's Archrival Harriet

If Harriet Tubman was a superhero, she could give Captain America a run for his money: Harriet Tubman, the iconic abolitionist, singlehandedly led hundreds of her fellow slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad with unmatched bravery and determination, an impressive accomplishment that's now immortalized through Gwendolyn Briley-Strand's awe-inspiring one-woman performance.
Source => yanjep.org

15. The Harriet Potter of Her Time

From mastering hide-and-seek to giving Harriet Potter a run for her money: Harriet Tubman effortlessly led over 300 enslaved souls to freedom via the Underground Railroad and also donned the hat of a spy and scout for the Union Army in the Civil War, leaving an impact so monumental, she might just end up on the $20 bill, while the $10 bill takes a backseat to celebrate other amazing women and civil rights leaders.
Source => nobts.edu

16. Saving Niece Like Action Hero

If the suspense of "saving a niece" sends shivers down your spine like an action-movie plot twist, you’re in for a real treat: Harriet Tubman's first heroic act on the Underground Railroad was rescuing her very own niece, Kessiah Bowley, in a brave mission that would soon become the foundation of her awe-inspiring legacy.
Source => harriettubmanbyway.org

17. Freedom Mixtape Creator

Before Spotify playlists and underground garage bands, Harriet Tubman was rocking the charts with her hits on the "Freedom Mixtape": Harriet Tubman used coded songs to communicate with other slaves on the Underground Railroad, giving them directions on how to escape and where to meet. These songs contained references to Biblical stories and analogies to their own history of slavery, with "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" being Tubman's chart-topping favorite.
Source => harriet-tubman.org

18. Fundraising Boston 'Moses'

Before Moses parted the Red Sea, "Moses" roamed the streets of Boston, fundraising for a whole different kind of freedom train: Harriet Tubman, nicknamed "Moses" by William Lloyd Garrison, spent the late 1850s and early 1860s in Boston raising funds for the Underground Railroad and taking care of her aging parents, all while rubbing elbows with famous abolitionists.
Source => nps.gov

19. Tubman & Douglass: 19th-Century Besties

When Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass weren't busy dissing plantations and dropping emancipation proclamations, they were actually kicking it old school as besties during the 19th century: These two abolitionist powerhouses first crossed paths in the 1850s and maintained a close friendship until Tubman's passing in 1913, with Douglass famously dubbing her a "Moses-like" figure for her ability to lead enslaved people to freedom.
Source => blackhistorymonth.org.uk

20. Heads or Tails, Harriet Tops the Board

Despite a real-life game of "heads or tails" with narcolepsy and migraines, Harriet Tubman topped the leaderboard as a legendary freedom fighter: Not only did she free hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad, but she also led the Combahee River Raid, putting a whopping 700+ slave-freeing points on the board.
Source => folks.pillpack.com

21. Slippery Hide-and-go-Peek Leader

Parting the Red Sea of her day with her heroic free-roaming spirit and a keen sense of hide-and-go-peek: Harriet Tubman, dubbed "Moses," became an unstoppable force in the Underground Railroad - expertly navigating treacherous paths and evading slippery slave hunters to free countless enslaved souls.
Source => thecanadianencyclopedia.ca

22. Harriet Tubman vs. James Bond

Who needs 007 when you've got Harriet Tubman? The ultimate snoop and multitasking maestro, Tubman could give James Bond a run for his money: Not only was she a skilled nurse during the Civil War, caring for wounded soldiers at a Union Army hospital in Virginia, but she also served as a spy for the Union Army, gathering valuable intelligence from behind enemy lines.
Source => dilworthcitymn.com

23. Stamp Sensation Harriet Tubman

Move over, Elvis: there's a new stamp sensation in town, and her name is Harriet Tubman! In a dazzling display of philatelic fandom, Tubman outshined the King of Rock and Roll not just once, but twice: first, in 1978, when she became the inaugural African-American woman to grace a U.S. postage stamp, designed by the illustrious Jerry Pinkney, and then again in 1995, when she made her second stamp debut.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

24. Herbal Remedy Expert Tubman

Who needs WebMD when you've got Harriet Tubman, the herbal remedy extraordinaire of the 19th century? You've got peony for pain, foxglove for the heart, and Nurse Tubman for everything in between: As an accomplished nurse during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman utilized her expertise in medicinal plants to heal wounded soldiers, even being entrusted to train other nurses in her time-tested methods.
Source => auburnny.gov

25. Tubman's Impressive LinkedIn Profile

If Harriet Tubman had a LinkedIn profile, her special skills section would read: "Master of Secret Routes, Family Reunions, and Leading Armed Expeditions": Tubman, an American abolitionist, escaped slavery in 1849, traveling 90 miles to Philadelphia via the Underground Railroad. Over time, she used this network to orchestrate 13 missions, and with her impeccable wayfinding skills, she guided around 70 enslaved individuals to freedom. In an unexpected career twist, she later led an armed expedition during the Civil War, which liberated over 700 slaves.
Source => docsouth.unc.edu